Translation and cultural adaptation of the auditory processing domains questionnaire into Tamil and preliminary psychometric evaluation of APDQ-T

Purpose Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is often underdiagnosed due to overlapping symptoms with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and Learning Disability (LD). Auditory Processing Domains Questionnaire (APDQ) is a validated screening tool for differentiating APD from other neurodevelopmental disorders. However, despite its global recognition, the linguistic gap limits accessibility for Tamil speaking populations. This study aimed to address this gap by translating and culturally adapting the APDQ into Tamil (APDQ-T), conducting a preliminary psychometric evaluation to examine its validity and reliability. Methods The study comprised two phases. Phase I involved forward translation, evaluation of translation, backward translation and face validity assessment. Phase II determined internal and external validity and reliability. The APDQ-T was administered to parents of 100 children (controls: 70, APD: 10, ADHD: 10, LD: 10), aged 7 to 17 years. Test-retest reliability was assessed in 10 parents from the control group. Results About 90% of participants rated 3 or 4 for all items of APDQ-T, confirming face validity. Internal reliability was strong (Cronbach's alpha: Auditory processing (AP) = 0.92, Attention (ATT)= 0.78, Language (LANG)= 0.87). The overall internal consistency of the 50-item APDQ-T was excellent (Cronbach's α = 0.943). Test-retest reliability was high (ICC: AP=0.96, ATT=0.93, LANG=0.83). Linear discriminant analysis confirmed internal validity with 100% classification accuracy, and linear regression analysis demonstrated significant group differences (p<0.05), supporting external validity. Conclusion The APDQ-T is a reliable screening instrument for identifying APD, ADHD, and LD in Tamil-speaking children. Given the lack of validated tools in Tamil, APDQ-T fills a critical gap in early identification, supporting timely intervention and management. However, further studies with larger samples are required to establish structural validity through confirmatory factor analysis.